Chapter 12: Maede's Mission

(19 years ago)

Hase, Ayana, Ide, and his older cousin Maede stood side by side in the Hokaege's office while Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed the report Maede had prepared following their last mission. "Hmmmm… Well, if your report is accurate, it seems we've cleared the last of the hidden stone from the Land of Rivers. Thank you, Team Eighteen. Thanks to your efforts we're another step closer to ending this war." Hiruzen smiled as he rolled up the scroll and returned it to Maede. "You're due for a well-earned Leave of Absence, rest well and enjoy your time off."

The three children grinned as they exchanged looks before rushing out of the office to enjoy some rest and relaxation Meade smiled to himself but before he could follow his students Hiruzen spoke up. "Ahem! Maede, after you see your students off there's something I need to discuss with you."

Maede narrowed his eyes he could tell just by the Hokage's tone what he wanted to talk about. When he finally left the Hokage's office he was met by his cousin waiting with his arms crossed. "More Anbu work? I thought you quit when you took on a Genin squad?" Ide asked in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Well, you know…. the village is short-handed because of the war so I'm helping pick up the slack." Maede shot his cousin an understanding smile before he put his hand on the boy's shoulders. "As Uchiha, it's our duty to-"

"Protect the village no matter what. I know, I know." Ide cut his cousin off as he pushed his hand off his shoulder. "We've been training together for a long time now, you really need to pick up some new material."

"Maybe if my hopeless student could better absorb the things I said, I wouldn't need to repeat myself so often." Maede sarcastically shook his head with disappointment before turning and looking at his cousin with sincere eyes. "Listen, I'm sorry so much of the time we've spent together as a team has been so…. Bloody."

Ide put his hands in the pocket of his old blue jacket as he looked dejectedly at the ground. "You know you can't help it Maede. We're at war, nobody gets to spend time the way they really want to. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but it's not your fault either…" Maede and Ide stood in silence for a moment, their conversation had become more serious than either had intended and the older cousin knew he needed to end things on a lighter note before he left for his mission so he quickly changed topics. "Ide, can you apologize to the others for me but tell them when I get back I want all of us to go out for dinner. I'm thinking of that new ramen stall downtown."

"Ew, not Ichiraku's!" Ide cried back making an overly exaggerated grossed out face.

"Oh C'mon, you drama queen." Maede shrugged at the boy's antics and shook his head. "I for one thought the food was great."

"That's cause you like fatty pork like a weirdo." Ide shot his sensei an exaggerated side-eyed glare.

"Pork fat is just meat butter and it's delicious." Maede defiantly crossed his arms and turned away from his cousin with a pout.

"Whatever you weirdo! See ya around I guess." With a wave, Ide marched away. Shooting his cousin a quick smile before he disappeared down the stairs outside the office.

Maede smirked before going back into Hiruzen's office, there the old man was waiting with another open scroll on his desk. "This is top secret intel that some of our informants gathered recently." As soon as the door was closed behind Maede, the third Hokage began explaining the details of his mission. "There are rumors of a rebel faction forming in the Hidden Rain that plans to overthrow Hanzo the Salamander. If a civil war between Hanzo and these rebels breaks out our enemies in the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud could see the infighting as the perfect opportunity to attack and this could further prolong this war. I need you to infiltrate the Hidden Rain and confirm whether or not these rumors are valid and if they are I'd like for you to subdue the leaders of this rebellion before it's too late."

"Cut the head off the snake before it grows, I understand." Maede nodded as he took in the information, and then he looked up at Hiruzen. "If possible, I'd prefer to bring them alive lord Hokage."

The old man interlocked his fingers on his desk and looked back at the Jonin team leader with weary eyes. "Maede, I understand your aversion to bloodshed. You're a kind man but I'm afraid we can't let the word of their leaders capture reach any rebels in the Hidden Rain. It could inspire further acts of violence, it's better they are cut down by an unknown enemy."

"Understood." Maede bowed his head in reverence.

"Very good, you are to leave at sunset." Hiruzen instructed before waving Maede away. "You are dismissed." Maede silently left the room as the Hokage lowered his head in reverence to the lives he'd just sentenced to death.

(Later)

As the sun began to sit on the horizon and red, purple and orange danced across the night sky Maede stood in at the Leaf village front gates, his eyes fixed on the road ahead and the mission he'd been tasked with. His jonin vest was gone replaced with black clothing and grey armor. Maede slowly untied his headband and let his short black hair drop down and transform into a mess of unkempt bangs.

Maede lifted a white face mask decorated with red and blue paint so that it resembled an owl. Maede stared into the black eyes of the mask so intently that he didn't notice his cousin walk up behind him.

"You know, you really oughta get a girlfriend." Maede jumped as Ide spoke, nearly dropping his mask. He turned around to find his cousin nonchalantly chomping down on a stick a Yakitori with his back resting against one of the village's double gates. "Your little cousin being the only one to see you off on a dangerous mission is kinda sad." Ide mocked as he took a bite of his chicken.

Maede grimaced at the little punk for a moment before regaining his composure. "Yeah, well maybe if you could get yourself a girlfriend then you'd have better things to do at sunset than see me off."

"Yeah," Ide smirked as he polished off the last of his meal before flicking the skewer at his cousin's head who dodged it with a simple lean. "If I got a girlfriend you'd spend the days all by yourself. Fortunately for you for you, I'm too nice to do something like that."

"Sure thing cool guy," Maede said with a roll of his eyes. Before putting the Mask on over his face. "If that's all you wanted to say then I'll be going." Maede called back, his voice now being muffled by the mask.

As he turned to walk away, Ide's expression turned serious as he got out the gate. "Hey!" He called out getting his cousin to stop. "See ya later, okay?"

Maede turned his head to look back at his cousin and smiled, though Ide couldn't see it under the mask. "You know it." Maede then tossed his untied headband to Ide. "Gotta go undercover this time so hold onto this for me."

Ide grabbed the headband out of the air and looked over it for a moment before answering his cousin with a strong nod. With that Maede turned away and started marching down the road away from the village, finally beginning his mission.

Maede traveled through the trees until the first lights of morning began to shine through the trees, that was his sign that he needed to begin the next phase of his journey. Maede dropped down from the tree branches, landing in the bushes a few meters away from the road. Once on the ground, he pulled two small scrolls off of his back.

He unraveled the first scroll to reveal that it was blank for the moment, then he began removing his armor and his mask and placed them both on top of the paper. Then, with a quick series of hand signs, Maede's gear was sealed away into the first scroll. He unrolled the second scroll which had already covered in right and he used it to summon a drawstring bag along with two large straw baskets.

Maede opened his bag and pulled out a flat bamboo hat with an overhanging rim, a pair of circular lensed glasses, a hair tie, and some tattered brown robes. He tied his short hair into a tight round bun and quickly dressed. Once he was dressed he cut his thumb open with his mouth and slammed his hand down on the ground creating a seal of circular black markings in the dirt. A horse with tan skin and a dark brown mane came from a puff of smoke.

He quickly attached the bags to his horse hopped on the animal's back and began riding down the long dirt road through the forest. To reach the Hidden Rain Village, one needs to cross the border of the land of fire but during war times it's virtually impossible for a ninja to do this without raising suspicion, hence the disguise. Posing as a simple merchant would solve this problem, at least in theory.

Maede rode for most of the day, as he approached the border he joined in line with dozens of other merchants and civilians who were on the move. The war had made life difficult for people all across the continent and as the fighting continued it made mass migrations like this more and more common and looking out on these people forced to leave their homes and pack up their lives because of a war they didn't choose filled the undercover ninja with sorrow.

The closer he got to the border the more dense the traffic became until it eventually slowed to a single file line moving an inch per hour. The last few miles of the Journey were supervised by Leaf Village Ninja keeping an eye on the traffic. Maede's mission was top secret even among other Leaf Village ninjas so he couldn't count on them to recognize him and help him move forward in the line, he'd have to wait his turn just like anyone else, and as the line slowly inched forward the day quickly came to an end as another sunset painted the sky in spectacular colors.

As the sun sank a squad of border ninjas began handing out slips of paper to the different to all the people in line. "There will be no more traveling after dark!" One of the ninjas called out to the masses. "We're handing out group numbers to help keep your place in line! Once you've received your number please make your way to your group's designated campsite!" The border ninja instructed as one of his subordinates passing out the number cards slowly made his way to Maede.

"And you're in group four." The Ninja said as he handed Maede his card. "There will be a post at your campsite for you to tie up your horse." Maede studied the man's face for the brief second he had the opportunity and while he didn't recognize him from the Village there was something about him that didn't sit right with Maede.

(Later)

With the sun fully sunken into the ground and the moon taking its place in the sky, Maede sat around a campfire along with the other members of group four as after a long day of traveling they all gluttonously scarfed down bowls of rice provided for those hopeful of crossing the border.

Sitting next to Maede was a man a few years younger than himself who seemed to carry an upbeat attitude unusual for the camp of weary travelers. "So…" The young man spoke up attempting to make small talk as he scraped the sides of his bowl for one last bite. "What brings all of you to the border of the Land of Fire?"

The young man received either annoyed or sorrowful looks but not being able to take a hint he continued. "Me, I'm a journalist covering the war. You might've read by coverage of the Hidden Leaf's recovery of the Kannabi Bridge." He boasted but even then he failed to garner a reaction from any other travelers. "Okay…. How about you!" The young journalist pointed across the campfire to a traveler covered head to toe by a long, dark cloak whose face was hidden under the darkness of the hood he wore.

Maede got a bad feeling about this hooded stranger. It was very unlikely that Ide was the only undercover traveler in the group with travel being so restricted during these times it was common for those of criminal intent to try and blend in amongst the civilian population to commute between nations. This hooded figure could even be an undercover agent of another nation sent on a mission similar to Maede's but dealing with suspicious people wasn't part of the mission so as long as this hooded man didn't try to get in his way Maede didn't plan to involve himself but there was something ominous about the man that didn't sit well with Maede.

The cloaked figure remained silent despite the journalists' prompting. "Hehe… not a talker huh? What about you?" The journalist pointed at a young woman who looked away from him with fear in her eyes.

"Grrr…. What do you think you dolt!" An older man who had been huddling closely with his wife as the two ate suddenly erupted in anger at the young man's constant prodding. "We're here because this damn war has destroyed all of our lives!" The old man threw his empty bowl at the journalist out of rage. "We've been forced from our homes and lost our loved ones and you're trying to drag up these awful memories! Shame on you…"

The journalist was stunned, he'd honestly not meant any harm and was just hoping to strike up a friendly conversation. Maede could tell this wasn't the first time his mouth got him into trouble and felt like cutting him a break. "I'm a merchant," Maede said to the journalist. "Just looking for a new place to sell my wares."

"Oh…" The journalist perked back up. "And what exactly do you sell Mr Merchant?"

Maede pulled one of his straw baskets that he'd retrieved from his horse close and opened the top. "Kashiwa Mochi." Maede smiled as all the travelers looked into his basket with intrigue. Inside were dozens of round, white rice balls wrapped in fresh green leaves.

"Oh… Those look good." The journalist muttered as drool began dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"I suppose none of you would like a sample?" As if he even had to ask, everyone gathered around the flames nodded their heads and Maede began handing out the mochi. He was happy to brighten the moods of his fellow travelers even if only for a brief moment so he handed out his sweets with a grin until he came to the hooded figure and that feeling of unease crept back over him as a stark white hand reached out from under the dark robes that Maede carefully filled with another dessert.

After that, he finished giving out his mochi and took his seat back in front of the campfire. "Thanks for that." The journalist thanked him with a friendly jab to the side. "I get it you know." He continued as he bit into the soft treat. "This war, what it's done to people, what it's still doing. I see it every day you know, I was just trying to…I don't know…."

Maede nodded in acknowledgment. "So my question is what business does a war correspondent have in the Hidden Mist?" Maede asked as he sampled some of his wares.

"Hehe…" The journalist chuckled softly. "That dictator Hanzo isn't exactly a fan of freedom of the press. I'm just passing through to the Hidden Stone, covering their retreat. I wouldn't set foot in that hell hole of a village if I didn't have a deadline to meet and that was the quickest route."

"Hell hole huh?" Maede repeated back with uncertainty. "Hanzo might be a dictator but at least there is peace in the hidden rain. At least they aren't sending children to fight and to kill and to die in a conflict started by oldmen who sit behind desks and on thrones."

"That's one way to look at it I guess." The journalist replied as he threw his empty leaf wrapper into the open flame. "But trading your freedom for peace? What kind of choice is that."

Maede lowered his head, the long rim of his hat casting a shadow over his face as he did. "After these last few years, you ask me it's no choice at all."

(Later)

After dessert, the campfire was extinguished, and group four each found a spot to rest for the night. Maede propped his back up against a nearby tree with both baskets sitting next to him, one on each side. Maede tipped his hat down to shield his eyes as he slept, or at least tried to.

"Hey, what are you?! MMMM!" The journalist's cries were quickly muffled.

"Keep him quiet!" The lead border ninja whispered his orders as one of his henchmen pinned his arms behind his back and the other stifled his voice by putting a hand over his mouth. "This is the eighth time I've seen this guy trying to pass the border. There's no doubt in my mind he's a spy, take him back to our tent for… interrogation."

The henchman holding his mouth shut smirked as he pulled out a kunai and brought the blade up to the Journalist's throat. "With pleasure." He whispered back.

The Journalist looked down at the deadly weapon and his eyes went wide in fear. "MMMMM! MMMM! MMMMMM!" He tried screaming for help but it was no use.

Maede could tell that he wasn't the only one who'd been awoken by this, he figured the rest of group four was awake right now but were feigning being asleep to keep themselves out of harm's way. No one was willing to stick their neck out to help the journalist and normally Maede would do the same as getting involved could blow his cover but at the same time he knew the Journalist was no spy and if left to his own devices that big mouth of his was likely to get him into a kind of trouble he wouldn't be able to get himself out of.

"MMMMM! MMMMM!" The journalist continued struggling as he tried to worm his way free and this only served to infuriate the border ninja captain.

"Damn, this bastard won't stop." He whispered as he began to ball up his fist. "Guess I'll have to shut him up." He moved to deliver the Journalist with a gut punch but as he stepped forward his eyes turned dark and he fell limp onto the ground with a THUD! Soon after the two lackeys fell unconscious as well, falling limply onto the ground in a similar manner.

"Heeeeeehhhh!" The journalist took a deep breath once his mouth became free before looking around him with confusion. "What the hell happened?" He pondered as he looked around the campground for answers. Eventually, his eyes came to Maede who was still feigning sleep with his hat still hanging over his face but now two streams of blood were flowing down over his cheeks and the Journalist wasn't the only one who noticed this as the darkness of the cloaked figures hood was pointed directly at Maede's body.

(Later)

The next day Maede was able to successfully enter the Hidden Rain Village, a city plagued by seemingly endless grey skies and downpours and a city shrouded in mystery.

Upon entering the city he found a place that'd been arranged for him in the commercial district for him to set up his fake mochi shop. The next few days he'd be busy at work gaining intelligence for his mission. He'd strike up conversations with his customers, visit different bars and restaurants after work hours, and talk with locals, all the while keeping his true intentions on the down low to avoid arousing suspicion.

Eventually, he'd begin to hear similar rumors about a group of suspicious individuals. Descriptors like black robes, purple eyes, and a paper woman would repeat themselves every so often in conversations but no names, no locations, nothing concrete to go off of that was until one day. Mayde was serving Mochi like usual, business was slow but as one of the customers delivered payment for their dessert, they slipped a small folded piece of paper in with their coins.

Maede unfolded the paper and upon opening it he found coordinates written on it and his eyes went wide in realization. He immediately turned to locate the that left him the note but he was too late, they'd disappeared into the endless rain.

The next day, Maede redressed in his Anbu gear before following up on the tip. Pursuing the coordinates took him far away from the city into the heart of a dead forest drowned by the endless rain that had flooded all the ground around Maede. He took another look at the small piece of paper to confirm he had the right coordinates and in the split second he looked down the Hood man from before suddenly appeared a few feet in front of him.

"It's you…" Maede muttered as he crumbled the paper into a ball and discarded it. "I knew there was something about you that didn't sit right with me. Who are you?"

"Maede Uchiha…" A deep, powerful voice echoed out from under the cloaked figure's hood. "To think there'd be a generation of our clan that'd be unable to recognize me based on my presence alone!" He roared as he ripped off his cloak unveiling a suit of fleshy white bandages that wrapped around the stranger's entire body the only opening being a spiral of the bandages that formed as a window over the masked man's eye that revealed a Sharingan. "I am Madara Uchiha!" He declared.

The name Madara made Maede shutter for a moment before he took off his Anbu mask to get a better look at the stranger. "Madara huh? I hope you don't mind my skepticism but Madara died a long time ago and just because you wield a Sharingan doesn't mean you are Madra Uchiha."

"Whether or not you believe I am who I am is unimportant." Madara declared. "I've come to you because your mission is one I cannot allow you to complete. The group you seek is important to my goals so I can't allow you to destroy them."

Maede's eyes narrowed as he slowly reached for a chakra dagger he kept strapped to his back. "And just what is this goal of yours?"

"You don't need to know, you'll never see it come to fruition." Madara dashed across the water as he rushed Maede, as he got in close he grew a foot-long wooden spear out of the bottom of his palm and jabbed it at Maede once he was in range.

Maede ignited his chakra blade with blue energy and parried the wooden spear with the dagger before he activated his Sharingan. Then he quickly sliced through the wood with his knife before spinning the blade around in his hand and catching it so it was pointed backward and then stabbing the blade into Madara's neck. "Hah…" Maede sighed as he assumed the battle was over.

"Impressive." Madara admitted making Maede's eyes go wide in shock as the masked ninja simply walked forward passing through Maede's blade and his arm as if he were made of air.

Maede lept back as he did he began to perform hand signs and when he landed he slapped his hand down on the surface of the water. "Water Style! Rain Bullet Jutsu."

The surface tension of the water around Madara was immediately broken as the water began to shake as if rain was hitting it, and then hundreds of pressurized water droplets began to fire out from the water around Madara. The constant firing of the water created a thin mist around Madara's body that faded away once the jutsu ended and once visibility returned Madara was standing in the same spot unscathed. "What are you…." Ide muttered in disbelief.

"I'm immortal…" Madara answered and then with a wave of his arm dozens of miniature wooden spears were launched through the air at Maede.

Maede stood in place and quickly began swinging his chakra blade, cutting the spears out of the air but there were more than he could handle, and quickly his blade missed and caught in the back of his hand, knocking his chakra blade out of his hand, then two more hit him in the arm. "AH!" Maede winced as pulled his arm back in pain. "Damnit!" Maede growled as blood from his wounds began running down his arm and dripping into the water below.

"Hah…Hah…Hah…." Maede began to pant as he dealt with the pain, his entire arm was now useless at least for the remainder of the battle. Left with few options left Maede's eyes began to transform. The Tomoe of his Sharingan swirled together and reshaped, becoming a black symbol shaped like a Y made out of blades in both eyes. "Minakata!" Maede called out and his right eye began to bleed before transforming back into its standard form.

Suddenly Madara's whole body went limp and he slumped over in unconsciousness but then the odd white suit he was wearing began to shake and move unnaturally and suddenly Madara's posture was fixed and he stood up right once again. "You broke my genjutsu?" Maede muttered as he instinctively took a step back out of fear.

"Deadeye Maede…" Madara called out as he took a step forward in response. "Eyes so powerful they can cast a genjutsu that causes a sleep-like death. Eyes with the potential to tame Tailed Beasts. Eyes you can't be allowed to keep." Madara lifted a hand and four wooden tendrils erupted from the water Maede was standing on and lifted him into the air. "Poor Maede Uchiha, a good man, all he ever wanted was peace but he thought he could achieve peace by dutifully serving the Hidden Leaf Village. Maybe if you were a good enough soldier you could win the war faster, and stop the fighting but even if you win the war you'll never know real peace!"

Madara's voice turned darker and more growly as Maede struggled to free himself from his wooden bindings. "I'll let you in on a secret, peace will never exist in this world. Ninja blood runs too deeply for there ever to be lasting peace among nations but don't worry!" Madara began raving as he slowly approached Maede. "I'll create a new world where peace can exist and use your eyes to help get me there! In death, you'll help me to achieve your dream!" Madara roared as another long wooden spear erupted from his palm.

With few options left, both of Maede's eyes began to bleed as bright white flames erupted around him that destroyed Madara's wood bindings. Now free Maede conjured a skeleton's torso inside the fiery white aura, the skull of the skeleton had two spikes protruding from the chin, and spiraling ram horns formed on top of the skeleton's head. "That's enough…" Maede looked up with blood running from his eyes as he glared daggers back at his opponent. "What do you know of peace Madara!" Maede hissed. "It was your ideology that poisoned our clan, your pointless pursuit of power set the precedent for our clan to hate our comrades of the leaf, hate each other! For the sake of meaningless power! You damned us!" The skeleton grabbed two blades made of fire from thin air and swung them at Madara.

"The Susanoo…" Madara ignored Maede's words as the flaming swords passed harmlessly through him. "The ultimate defense, you might not be able to hit me but there's nothing I can do to harm you either. Seems we've reached a stalemate….if I was anyone else." Madara taunted as space itself began to distort around Madara's Sharingan. Soon Madara's entire body was absorbed into his eye in a spiral-like motion and with that he vanished from sight.

"Where'd he-" Maede couldn't even finish as his Sharingan alerted him to a presence directly behind him and he turned to find Madara standing inside his Susanoo, which would be the last thing he'd ever see. Madara put his hand on Maede's back and six massive wooden spears erupted through his back and jetted out through the front of his torso. "ARHGG!" An unnatural sound came flying from Maede's mouth along with a fatal amount of blood as all the organs in his chest were ripped to shreds.

The Susanoo disappeared around Maede and Madara as the latter retracted his wooden spears and let the former's body drop. Before Maede could even hit the water the life left his eyes and the corpse bobbed in the water for a moment before finding its buoyancy.

With his foot, Madara flipped the corpse over and crouched down, he waved his hand over Maede's face removing his Sharingan and closing his eyes in a single motion. "Rest now." Madara said as he stood back up and looked over his dirty work. "Your sacrifice will bring peace." With that Madara disappeared into his eye once again, leaving Maede to float alone in the rain.